


is he already gone?

by arthurmorgans



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Family Dynamics, Gen, Guilt, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, Hurt No Comfort, POV Hank Pym, canon character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:08:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23829625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arthurmorgans/pseuds/arthurmorgans
Summary: Stark was abducted, and Hank feels everything and nothing all at once. Worry for the boy he knew immediately consumed by white-hot contempt for the man he's become. He doesn't care.But he waits, with the rest of the world, for Stark to come back. He waits, and waits, and eventually gives up. He feels nothing, but the alcohol helps anyway.--Or, tracking Tony's journey from boyhood to death through the eyes of Hank Pym.
Relationships: Hank Pym & Howard Stark, Hank Pym & Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers & Tony Stark
Comments: 1
Kudos: 24





	is he already gone?

**Author's Note:**

> I've been thinking about this concept for a while because I thought Hank's relationship with Tony was interesting -- even though we never technically saw them interact. The whole concept of 'never trust a Stark' and that he felt so strongly he imparted that onto Scott, too. Inchresting stuff, so anyways this started as a tumblr drabble and turned into this. 
> 
> It'll probably be 2 or 3 chapters.

Howard's father beat him, Hank knows. He could see it in the way the man stood, the way he talked, the way he made himself the largest person in the room. He knows Howard's dad is nothing but a footnote now; a man who helped in his creation, who became a stepping stone to his success and was left to rot in his wake. And although Hank never met the man, he thinks, sometimes, that he sees him in the shadows across Howard's face. He thinks, maybe, that Howard didn't turn out as different as he thought.

***

When Pym Technologies partners with Stark Industries he thinks, perhaps, that he will regret it.

***

He meets Anthony, for the first time, when the boy is 11, and they're both waiting outside of Howard's office at Stark Industries. He's a small, rawboned thing, and Hank can't help but feel concerned, even as large brown eyes turn to glare at him accusatorially. "I was here first," he says, voice young and defensive. Hank nods his agreement. "You were. Anthony?"

"Tony," he says, shortly, before turning away.

Hank smiles, although the boy doesn't see it, and says, "I'm Doctor Pym."

"I know," the boy says, turning back, "and I was still here first."

"I know," Hank says, making the conscious decision to be amused by the insolence rather than irritated. "And to what does your father owe the pleasure?"

"I'm not sure he'd call it that," the boy mumbles, unfurling himself and brushing the hair out of his eyes. He turns to Hank and says, "I began overlaying algorithms to simulate neural networks in AI."

"Oh?" Hank says, impressed. "You're already working on stuff for Stark Industries?"

"No," Tony says, turning away again, and Hank notices, for the first time, that the boy's hands are shaking. "Not yet," he says, already turning his head to where the pair of big, oak doors are creaking open. Howard steps out, dressed sharp, eyes falling to the child, briefly, before turning to Hank.

"Let's go, shall we," he says, grinning at Hank, eyes crinkling.

"Ah, but your boy was here first," Hank says, looking down at the child who hadn't moved save for standing upon his father's entrance.

"He can wait, Hank, he's fine," Howard said, casting his eyes over Tony again, "aren't you, Anthony?" Hank can't make out the sullen affirmation, but it seems to have been adequate enough for Howard, because the man turns back to him with a smile, and gestures broadly towards his office. "Shall we?"

***

Hank sees quite a bit of Tony after that. The boy is wary on the best of days, but he begins to open up, seemingly eager to talk about science. He's relentless in his curiosity, and Hank finds he quite enjoys teaching the child about the quantum realm, the theoretical application of it for time travel, the logistics of how one might navigate through it. He's met with question upon question, bright eyes hungry for whatever information Hank has to give. He tells Hank of his own experiments; of the helping AI he's trying so desperately to create.

He doesn't tell Hank about school, or Howard, or why the metal framework of his AI needs so frequently to be rebuilt. Hanks wonders, but he doesn't ask.

***

When Hope is three, he allows her to accompany him to one of Maria Stark's galas. It's lovely, and for a good cause, and she looks beautiful in her light blue evening gown. Attached at her arm is Howard, looking equal parts bored and sloshed. Hank greets them kindly and introduces Hope, who is met with gentle and adoring coos from Maria, and indifference from Howard.

"Anthony should be around here somewhere," Maria says, disengaging herself from Howard, who trundles off down the hall. "He asked if you would be here."

"Did he?" Hank asks, though he is not surprised. He knows, now, that the boy looks up to him, to an extent. As much as a Stark can look up to anybody, he thinks.

"Yes," Maria says, smiling, "You know, I've never thanked you."

"For what?" Hank asks.

"For listening to him," she says, "I try, you know, I do. But it's hard, I think, for both of us. I don't understand him, sometimes, the things he talks about, the mechanical stuff. It's so far beyond me."

She looks incredibly sad, Hank thinks, but he says, "He's a brilliant boy. Talking to him is always a pleasure."

She smiles again, and departs down the same hallway her husband did minutes before. He looks down at Hope, who is balanced on his hip, and grinning up at him. "Shall we go find Tony?" He asks.

***

He was not surprised when Hope took an immediate liking to Tony at that gala so many months ago, but he was a fair bit more surprised when the boy took a liking right back, eyes smiling as he twirled her in the air above his head, and whispered secrets in her ears.

***

Hope adores Tony. She asks about him, about the next time she can see him. Hank says he doesn't know, and it's true. Tony is back at school now, far away from home, from Hope, and from Howard.

***

Howard betrayed Hank. In the aftermath, he feels a lot of things. He's hurt; he's angry, furious, ashamed and aching. But, he's not surprised.

***

It's June. Hope is home from school for the summer, happy and babbling about plans she has with friends. She doesn't ask about Tony anymore.

***

Maria Stark has tried to call him several times, but he can't bring himself to answer. He doubts she knew what Howard planned to do, what he did. But she married him, and she was still married to him, connected to him, and every time he saw her, heard her, it reminded him of Howard, and the fool he'd been to trust the man.

***

Tony misses him, Maria wrote, apparently having realized a letter was the only way her words were going to make it into his house. Hank throws it in the bin.

***

Tony's in college now. Hank knows only because he sees the kid, still scrawny and doe-eyed, on the cover of a different newspaper every couple of months. He’s drunk at a party, or dating older -- much older -- women. He feels pity, maybe, for the boy he once knew, who turned out like this. He thinks, perhaps, Tony will be like his father after all.

***

It's 1991, and Howard and Maria Stark are dead. Killed in a car accident. The woman on the television is talking, brows creased in a way that mimics concern even as she cuts to a clip of shaky-camera footage showing Tony being corralled into a town car. Stane's form looms behind him, big hands gripping the back of his neck as he pushes the kid into the vehicle.

There's a certain detached sadness, a numbness that consumes him entirely for a few moments as flashes of Maria, and of Tony cross his mind. The way he'd seen, in his many visits, how the boy's eyes lit up and fell soft whenever his mother was near. The delicate cadence of her voice as she sung along to the rhythm Tony's nimble fingers beat against ivory keys.

But then Hope walks in. She asks what's wrong, and he tells her it's nothing.

***

Stark Industries is in the news again, nearly every night. Snap shots of Stark saying something outrageous, or Stane promising innovation. Clips of big hands around broadening shoulders at press releases, the two of them pressed close, always.

He doesn't care, wants to say he never did. But he remembers when Stark was young, how naive, so openly trusting he was towards anyone who showed him the slightest bit of interest -- remembers Stane had interest in spades. And, mostly, he remembers the open adoration in Starks's eyes when Stane would cup the back of his head and pull him into a hug.

Years later, he can still hear the exact intonation of "Tony, my boy."

But then the weather comes on, and he forgets about it.

***

Somewhere along the line, Tony became Stark in his head.

***

The years come as they always have. He watches the nightly news, watches as Stark Industries develops deadlier, more accurate, more sophisticated weaponry. More humane, they say, more efficient.

He watches Stark turn into the Merchant of Death, embrace the title, relish it. Watches him as he prowls around with a different woman every night.

He's his father's son, Hank thinks, one night -- smarter, maybe, but just like his dad.

***

Stark was abducted, and Hank feels everything and nothing at once. Worry for the boy he knew immediately consumed by white-hot contempt for the man he's become. He doesn't care.

But he waits, with the rest of the world, for Stark to come back. He waits, and waits, and eventually gives up. He feels nothing, but the alcohol helps anyway.

***

Hope tells him Stark came back from the dead, and in the same breath reminds him of a meeting he’s supposed to attend in an hour.

He wonders when, for her, Stark became something of vague interest rather than someone she used to know.

***

They call him _Iron_ Man. Unyielding, shiny and cold. He thinks: _that fits._


End file.
